Taillten Fair

The Taillten Fair was an annual event held in medieval times at Telltown, County Meath, Ireland. The fair was a survival or revival of the Áenach Tailteann, the assembly and funeral games for the goddess Tailtiu, and was held on Lughnasadh, aka Lammas Eve, (August 1st).

For a period of time in the twentieth century, the fair was revived as the Tailteann Games.

The Fair was a time for contests of strength and skill, horse races, religious celebrations, and a traditional time for couples to contract "year and a day" trial marriages. "Taillten marriages" were legal up until the 13th century.

This trial marriage practice is documented in the fourth and fifth volumes of the Brehon law texts, which are compilations of the opinions and judgements of the Brehon class of Druids (in this case, Irish). The texts as a whole deal with a copious amount of detail for the Insular Celts.[1]

See also

Sources

  1. ^ O'Donovan, J., O'Curry, E., Hancock, W. N., O'Mahony, T., Richey, A. G., Hennessy, W. M., & Atkinson, R. (eds.) (2000). Ancient laws of Ireland, published under direction of the Commissioners for Publishing the Ancient Laws and Institutes of Ireland. Buffalo, New York: W.S. Hein. ISBN 1-57588-572-7. (Originally published: Dublin: A. Thom, 1865-1901. Alternatively known as Hiberniae leges et institutiones antiquae.)

Lewis Spence, "The History and Origins of Druidism" & Elizabeth Pepper and John Wilcock, "Magical and Mystical Sites"